We know that better mental health and wellbeing in a school results in better academic outcomes, reduces staff absence and turn over and can reduce pressure on external services. 

About this Event

This webinar will consider how schools can start to embed a whole school approach to Mental Health and wellbeing, how they can make the changes meaningful, measure the impact and make a difference to the whole community.  It will give attendees a variety of actions to start the ball rolling in their school, help them to build a business case for a whole school approach and enable them to understand what it means to create a whole-school approach.

Whole School Mental Health and Wellbeing looks different in every school.  Three mental health leads from 3 very different schools which have been recognised for their excellent provision are coming together to discuss best practice in secondary schools.  This will be an interactive session and the audience are encouraged to ask questions of the panel

Lucinda Powell (Host)

Lucinda Powell supports teachers to use evidenced-based psychology in all aspects of their classroom practice. She has a BSc in Philosophy and Psychology, an MA in Special and Inclusive education is a qualified teacher and taught psychology from 2002-2017.  Since September 2017 she has been working as an Education Consultant specialising in mental health and wellbeing but is now focusing on how to apply psychology to classroom practice.  As well as presenting at numerous conferences and running staff training in schools,  she has worked closely with the AnDY Clinic at Reading University, as a coach on the School Mental Health Award at the Carnegie School of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools and leads the Oxfordshire Schools mental health and wellbeing network and is course author and associate lecturer for ITT at Coventry University.  As a mother of 3 boys, the eldest (16) of whom has ADHD & ASC and youngest (12) of whom is severely dyslexic, she has plenty of personal experience of supporting young people through their school career.

Delyth Lynch – Deputy Head (Safeguarding and Mental Health), Wellington College

Delyth has been on the Senior Leadership Team at Wellington College for 10 years, having previously been Deputy Head (Pastoral). This followed a long career in boarding as a Director of Extra-Curricular activities and Housemistress at two schools.

In 2018 she was awarded the BSA Research Fellowship; Delyth conducted her research on ‘Abuse in Boarding Schools, probing into an area where there was little research or literature available. Her paper won the National Research Award (2019). Her innovative work in the pastoral education of parents saw her winning the TES ‘Boarding Initiative of the Year’ award (2016) and in 2020 the inaugural Wellington College ‘Community Mental Health Day’ was recognised with them winning the BSA ‘Wellbeing and Mental Health Initiative of the Year’. Wellington College currently holds the Gold Status in School Mental Health through the Carnegie Centre of Excellence.

Delyth is the Safeguarding Governor and Vice Chair of Governors at a local school, leads the Local Independent Schools DSL cluster group and sits on the BSA South East Safeguarding Forum. In her spare time she enjoys running around with her 4 year old daughter and triathlon.

Rob Vaughan

Rob qualified with B.Ed (hons) in Primary PE, after 5 years in the classroom in one of the most deprived areas of Merseyside, he became the Partnership Development Manager/Advisory Teacher of PE for 6 Secondary, 28 Primary and 5 SEN schools in the St Helens School Sport Partnerships. During this period, the partnership won 4 national awards for his work utilising sport as a tool to motivate pupils with barriers to learning. The partnership was also the first in the country to have an entire cluster of SEN schools.

After 9 years in this role and a great deal of success working with SEN, Rob decided to move back into the classroom to work alongside SEMH students who had been permanently excluded. Whilst in this role he started to focus more on supporting child mental health prior to crisis, rather than dealing with behaviour at crisis. 

After 2 years back in the classroom Rob was offered the role of Head of Tuition Services, within Alternative Provision to support a unit of 17 students struggling with medical and/or complex needs. Within five years this unit has grown to accommodate 35 students with a variety of medical and complex needs that have prevented them from accessing mainstream education.

Zelia Munnik

Zelia started her teaching career in the UK in 2006 after relocating from South Africa. She spent a couple of years as Head of Geography whilst completing her SENCO Award at Roehampton University. She jumped at the opportunity to join the Senior Leadership team at Epsom and Ewell High School as Inclusion Lead and quickly developed strategies and procedures for ensuring rapid progress for all students with disabilities.  She has a passion for changing the lives of young people and in 2013 stepped in as Headteacher of Pyrcroft Grange primary school. During her time at Pyrcroft, the school was acknowledged as the most improved primary school in Surrey and moved from the lowest-performing school in Surrey to the 2nd highest achieving school within 3 years. Zelia wanted to broaden her experience as a Headteacher and when the opportunity came to start a new Free School, she could not resist. She set up Chertsey High School in 2017 and continues to strive for better life chances for the children in Chertsey. The school’s strapline of ‘Enlightening minds; changing lives’ is what she lives by and therefore Mental Health plays a core part of everyday decisions and practice at Chertsey High. 

Join us on 2 December 2020, at 4:30pm.

Register Now